Dozens of workers furloughed in Harvey, Illinois, have now been laid off. However, furloughing those workers was a violation of their union rules.

Union leaders said those furloughs are now layoffs that will come by the end of November, but city leaders are working to get the state house to allocate those emergency funds before layoffs are finalized. 

As the city of Harvey tries to fix its financial woes, cuts and furloughs have already hit, and city workers wearing the dark green of Local 2404 are fighting back.

"There's nothing in the contract that allows them to do that," said Anders Lindall, AFSCME union spokesperson.

To combat its more than $140 million deficit, a week ago, Harvey furloughed 40% of its workforce, which equates to 69 city workers. At least 40 of the 69 who were told not to come to work are a part of the union. 

"They claimed that they were rescinding the furlough, they were returning people to work, but they haven't done it yet," Lindall said.

He said after they filed a grievance about furloughs, the city leaders backtracked.

"They said, well, we realize that you were right about that, we got your grievance, and so we're gonna rescind this furlough. But we will have to lay people off a month from now if we don't get this sorted out," Lindall said.

On Wednesday, Harvey leaders were in Springfield trying to get lawmakers to pass House Bill 4024 — allowing $30 million from the general fund to be transferred to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for grants, so Harvey could "pay operational expenses," including payroll.

A city spokesperson said it would have been nice to have union leaders downstate drumming up support instead of pointing blame. They also said none of the 69 workers furloughed lost pay to date, despite not reporting to work. Harvey issued layoff notices this week at the request of the Union to ensure employees would have enough time to prepare. 

"What's looming over folks' minds is, you know, are they gonna go with a short paycheck or a payless payday, and we can't see that happen to anyone," Lindall said.

Those workers represented by the union include public works, clerical employees at city hall, and civilians at the police department. workers, they say, are essential to operating the city.

Full statement from the City of Harvey

"Mayor Christopher J. Clark remains fully committed to bringing all city employees back to work. City officials are in Springfield today advocating for the passage of House Bill 4024 (HB 4024), critical legislation that would provide the City of Harvey with the necessary funding to sustain operations and restore stability. 

Mayor Clark has reaffirmed his commitment to working with the unions, not against them. The City values the contributions of its employees and is hopeful union representatives will join us in Springfield to advocate for the funding our community desperately needs.

The City of Harvey issued layoff notices this week at the request of the Union to ensure employees would have enough time to prepare. 

The City, in partnership with State Representative Will Davis, continues to work tirelessly to secure the resources needed to return employees to work as soon as possible.

'Our goal has always been to stabilize Harvey's finances and protect the hardworking men and women who serve this city,' said Mayor Clark. 'We are optimistic that with the support of our state partners and the unions, we can move Harvey forward together.'

The city of Harvey issued layoff notices this week at the request of the union to ensure employees would have enough time to prepare."